ghoghmey vIQoy

pa' ghaH ghobe' speech ghobe' language, nuqDaq chaj ghogh ghaH ghobe' Qoyta'. chaj ghogh ghajtaH ghoSta' pa' vegh Hoch the tera', chaj mu'mey Daq the pItlh vo' the qo'.

There is no speech nor language, Where their voice is not heard. Their voice has gone out through all the earth, Their words to the end of the world. Psalms 19:3-4a

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ghorghmey vIQoy - I hear voices. I have an odd, and ever growing collection of gadgets. Radios, phonograph turntable, tape, CD and mp3 players - and all of them let me hear voices. So, thanks to them, ghoghmey vIQoy - I hear voices. The psalmist tells us that, throughout creation we hear voices too. Non-voice voices, actually. You'll find, if you examine different translations of these verses there is some variety of opinion on how to translate these words. Some say

There is no speech nor language, Where their voice is not heard. Their voice has gone out through all the earth (WEB)

while others say,

They speak without a sound or a word;their voice is silent in the skies (NLT)

On far side of those variations we find a strong affirmation: Creation has a MESSAGE - a voice. Perhaps there are not words as such, nor sound, but bottom line, nature has SOMETHING important to tell us. And this is a "word" available to all - every nation, every continent and creed (every PLANET, even!). This might sound like a free pass - what do we need to do if God has already broadcast his message in the stars? Well, as the Life Application Bible points out:

The apostle Paul referred to this psalm when he explained that everyone knows about God because nature proclaims God’s existence and power (Romans 1:19, 20). This does not cancel the need for missions because the message of God’s salvation found in his Word, the Bible, must still be told to the ends of the earth. While nature points to the existence of God, the Bible tells us about God’s plan of salvation. God’s people must explain to others how they can have a relationship with God. Although most people believe in a Creator because of the evidence of nature around them, they need to know about his love, mercy, and grace. What are you doing to take God’s message to the world?

pa' ghaH ghobe' speech ghobe' language, nuqDaq chaj ghogh ghaH ghobe' Qoyta'.
There is no speech nor language, Where their voice is not heard.

The Klingon word ghogh is how voice,the Hebrew word qowl, is translated here. Appearing over 400 times in the Bible it comes from a root meaning "to call aloud" and is translated in quite a few ways - cry, lowing, noise, proclamation, voice, and yell - to name a few. You might also be familiar with the word from the name of the Israeli radio station: "Kol Israel" - the Voice of Israel.

Here's a thought: Creation has a voice that "speaks" of God. As general revelation believers say that Nature is one means God has of speaking to us, just as specific revelation, the Bible, is another. Now one aspect of revelation is to MODEL - to give us guidance to our actions. Considering that, we might take the example of nature, of God's revelation, as an example, to user OUR voice - ghoghmaj - to speak with words - and without - by our actions to add our testimony to God.

pa' ghaH ghob
e' speech ghobe' language, nuqDaq chaj ghogh ghaH ghobe' Qoyta'.
There is no speech nor language, Where their voice is not heard.

God has given you a voice - let it be heard!

They Display Knowledge....

jaj after jaj chaH pour vo' speech, je ram after ram chaH display Sov.

Day after day they pour forth speech, And night after night they display knowledge. Psalm 19:2

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chu' tlhaq vIje'pu' - that's Klingon for: I bought a new watch.

For years - over ten years, I'm sure - I've used the same watch - the official Timex "tlhIngan tlhaq" (I even have a spare). I've used it so long I've gone through half a dozen bands to keep it on my wrist. It's a great watch not only with cool Klingon labelling, it has lots of useful features, and I've kept it as a backup - but it was time for a change.

My new watch is NOT digital. It's completly mechanical and self-winding. What I particularly like about it is HOW very mechanical it is - from the face and the back you can see inside to the works, and see its action as it ticks away the seconds, minutes and hours. My wife says it makes her tired to see how hard it works - but I like it.

jaj after jaj chaH pour vo' speech, je ram after ram chaH display Sov.

Day after day they pour forth speech, And night after night they display knowledge. Psalm 19:2

Like my watch, day after day, night after night, show us the action of God in creation. The order of each day, followed by night are like the works of my watch, ticking away.

Likewise, the stars and planets, as they wheel past in the sky, expose us to the intricate detail of God's handiwork, and they can make us pause to admire, and appreciate what God has done.

I'm alluding to what is called the "watchmaker" argument for the existence of God. Just as - if you discovered my watch lying in a field, you wouldn't think it "just happened to be there" - its presence is the evidence of the actions of some person or people (someone made it, someone lost it). Just so, the details and movement of nature testify to the actions of a creator.

Not everyone is convinced. Skeptical authors have pointed to natural causes and mechanisms that CAN evolve and develop complexity in nature. They have a point - but I don't find that dilutes the power of the watchmaker analogy - it only pushes the question of "who did this?" back further. Such natural causes in making the complexity I find in creation are like... finding a robotic factory that was making watches. True - there might be no person making the watches, but where did the factory come from? Who designed it? Who made the robots?

jaj after jaj chaH pour vo' speech, je ram after ram chaH display Sov.

Day after day they pour forth speech, And night after night they display knowledge. Psalm 19:2

The word used here for knowledge, da'at in Hebrew, appears about 90 times in the Bible - related to the common word "yada" to know - it's translated by the Klingon word Sov (knowledge, or "to know"). It reminds me that nature, the Universe - ALL of Creation - is not simply a show or an entertainment. It is part, along with the Scriptures, of God's revelation to us. We need to attend to it, and with eyes of faith, see how dependable, and steadfast God is.

We need more, surely. Without the witness of the Word, we'd not know of His love, we'd not know of his commandments, and the blessings promised to believers. But it IS a start.

Albert Barnes notes:

Day unto day - One day to another; or, each successive day. The day that is passing away proclaims the lesson which it had to convey from the movements of the heavens, about God; and thus the knowledge of God is accumulating as the time moves on. Each day has its own lesson in regard to the wisdom, the power, and the goodness of God, and that lesson is conveyed from one day to another. There is a perpetual testimony thus given to the wisdom and power of the Great Creator.

I love to watch the gears moving away, driving the hands of my new watch. I can't imagine the craftsmanship to design, let alone construct this device. And it doesn't present even a fraction of the complexity of even a corner of this Universe. Surely that should make me pause, and give thanks to the one who put it all together!